Golden Sun II
by Damiens Demon
Summary: Based after the first Golden Sun As Isaac and the others set off to save Jenna and Kraden, a mysterious man asks to come abourd, a man that may change the rest of Isaac's life as we know it...
1. Default Chapter

Isaac was awoken not by the birds, but by a sudden wave rocking the ship that he sailed in. He was thrown clean from his hammock and collided with the hard floor below. He felt the pain of his plight and held his head as it rang in agony. He groaned loudly to express his situation, but it fell upon deaf ears; Ivan was sound asleep, still within his hammock and Garet was nowhere to be seen within the men's sleeping quarters. Slowly, he stood, clutching to a rail above his head, waiting for another wave to throw him from off his feet. That wave didn't come, much to Isaac's relief.  
  
Slowly, trying not to wake Ivan, he crept from out of the room to the main deck where, surprisingly, the sea was very calm. Where that wave had come from was anybody's guess. He took in a breath of the fresh air and suddenly felt much better. He walked out to the bow, where he saw a familiar face. Garet turned when he noticed Isaac was there and smiled. He'd styled his hair again perfectly as always, the brown spikes standing as vertical as the he was.  
  
"You took you're time getting up!" He chuckled.  
  
"Is it midday already?" Isaac asked.  
  
"Just passed." Garet told him. Garet turned back to the open sea and for a few moments, both marvelled at the sight.  
  
"Kraden always said he'd show me the ocean..." Garet sighed.  
  
"Lighten up, Garet! We've only been into the voyage a day! We'll find them and Lemuria." Isaac was only trying to cheer him up, Garet knew, but what he was promising him might have been too much he knew.  
  
"You're probably right." Garet admitted.  
  
"I am." Isaac assured him.  
  
"It's a beautiful day, is it not?" Ivan was now awake, they both knew. Only he would come up with such a comment on a morning.  
  
"Morning Ivan." Garet said.  
  
"Hey Ivan, did you feel that wave?" Isaac asked. Ivan looked at him completely blankly.  
  
"What wave?" Ivan enquired.  
  
"Oh, it was huge!" Garet began, "It sprayed the whole deck! Fortunately, I was well away from it when it happened."  
  
"Could Mia have caused it?" Ivan enquired. Garet shook his head.  
  
"Haven't seen her all day. She's been below deck the whole time." Isaac shook his head.  
  
"Wouldn't be surprised. She's probably sick of the sight of it by now, what with being a water adept herself." Isaac concluded.  
  
It was then that Ivan suddenly fell to his knee. Isaac immediately helped him raise himself. Garet, however, had drawn his blade almost by instinct. Ivan still looked dazed when he was standing.  
  
"What is it, Ivan?" Isaac asked.  
  
"It's a monster, isn't it?" Garet impulsively blurted out. Ivan shook his head weakly.  
  
"Is it sea sickness?" He guessed. Ivan shook his head again.  
  
"Then what on earth is it?" He shouted. Ivan then spoke, in a voice as quiet as a mouse.  
  
"We have to dock the ship." He muttered.  
  
"What? We've not even left the mainland yet! We're no where near Lemuria!" Garet moaned.  
  
"We have to dock the ship!" Ivan shouted. That surprised Isaac; He'd never seen Ivan get so angry before. From his pocket Isaac drew the black orb.  
  
"You're not going to do it, are you?" Garet asked in disbelief.  
  
"I'm concerned for Ivan. Besides, a little detour won't harm us." Isaac assured. Garet turned around, grumbling to himself. He obviously wasn't pleased.  
  
The commotion had caused Mia to come to the deck. She was dressed in her usual blue clothing as were all who were of the mercury clan. Her face, however, conveyed concern.  
  
"What's happening? Why are we moving to the mainland?" Mia looked to Garet, who was still angered by what had gone on.  
  
"Ask Isaac." Garet grunted.  
  
"Isaac?" Mia said, expecting a reply.  
  
"Ivan wants to go to the shore for a while. I think he's feeling sea sick." This was met by resistance form the blue haired woman.  
  
"Isaac, we can't stop every time we feel a little down. Kraden and Jenna will be miles ahead if we make this stop." Isaac wasn't going to give up, however.  
  
"What if Ivan is really ill?" Mia crossed her arms.  
  
"I could treat him." She told him.  
  
"I mean really ill!" Isaac said.  
  
"Are you doubting my ability?" Mia asked him. That would have lead to an argument if it wasn't for what Garet said next.  
  
"Hey, there's someone on the shore there!" He pointed to a solitary figure standing on the beach. He was cloaked, hiding his entire complexion and shadowing his appearance. The cloak was black, which would have been uncomfortable to wear in the heat that was in the air. The ship was slowly stopping right next to the young man, almost as if the tide itself wanted it to. Isaac looked to Garet.  
  
"It's your choice." Garet said to him.  
  
"Let's get the ramp down." Isaac suggested.  
  
It didn't take long, especially with their teamwork. Within a few minutes the ramp was down, conveying a clear path for the stranger to climb aboard. The four of them, however, blocked that path with there very selves. The stranger then spoke in a cold, yet commanding method.  
  
"Hail! I seek passage on your vessel!" He told them. It didn't take them long to reach a decision.  
  
"I'm sorry, but we aren't taking passengers on this trip. You should head for the Babi Lighthouse. There's a port near there." Isaac suggested. He expected that would be it, but it wasn't.  
  
"You don't understand," The young man told them. He put his right foot on the ramp, "I need passage on your ship!" Isaac looked to Garet, who was already ready for combat.  
  
"Threatening us won't help you, stranger! We're not ordinary people, you know!" Garet's threat caused Mia to roll her eyes and Isaac to sigh. Being so open about their abilities wasn't going to help them in the long run, he knew. What the stranger said next shocked all of them.  
  
"Neither am I, Adepts." Garet turned to Isaac in disbelief.  
  
"How can he know of us?" He hissed. The stranger took another step onto the ramp. Isaac now drew his sword, almost attempting to scare the person off.  
  
"You don't want to fight me, Adept." Isaac took another step closer to the cloaked figure, prepared to fight him off if he had to.  
  
"Be careful!" Mia beckoned to him.  
  
"I know, Adept. I know about Vale. I know about the elemental stars. I know about your quest. I know of you, Isaac!" That stunned Isaac, as no one had done that before. The others were equally gob-smacked, Garet even lowering his weapon.  
  
"What shall we do now, Isaac?" Isaac stood in thought for a while, considering all the options. Eventually, he turned round and walked back on board.  
  
"Let him on." He told Garet.  
  
The figure stepped up the ramp. When he was on board, didn't look at any of the other crew and stepped out to the other side of the ship. There, he looked out to the sea, the ever-expanding floor of blue. While Garet grabbed the ramp and started to pull it in, Ivan whispered to Isaac.  
  
"That person scares me." He said, almost with a whimper in his voice. Then, Isaac got thinking. He thought of the 'illness' Ivan got and how it led to this, a complete stranger getting onto their ship.  
  
"How are you feeling, Ivan?" Isaac asked hastily.  
  
"Much better now," Ivan told him, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Garet, don't pull that ramp in just yet!" He beckoned to him. He'd almost finished when that was shouted. Garet grumbled some curse as he was forced to push it back out. Isaac had drawn his blade as he ran towards the stranger. The stranger had turned around.  
  
"It was you! It was you who made Ivan feel ill! You made us dock our ship!" Isaac shouted.  
  
"Hey, it was you who wanted to dock, remember?" Garet commented, like he always did.  
  
"Shut up!" Mia and Isaac both told him. Garet gritted his teeth at that and drew his sword also. The four of them approached the cloaked figure and surround him, confining him to the bow of the ship. The cloak figure laughed at them, a sight which they hadn't seen like this before.  
  
"Yes, I did make Ivan demand to be taken to the shore, but for good reason." The man explained.  
  
"There's no good reason to hurt one of our friends!" Garet butted in. "I didn't hurt your friend. If I wanted to, I would have, but I didn't," That point caused Garet to be stumped, "It may not seem like it at the moment, but you need me." That triggered Garet again.  
  
"Yeah, we need you to get off our ship!" He shouted to the figure.  
  
"I'm not going to fight you." The figure told them.  
  
"Then it looks like you're going to be beaten pretty bad!" Garet told him. Isaac gave him a stern look.  
  
"What?" Garet moaned. Isaac simply shook his head.  
  
"Show us your face." Ivan asked.  
  
The figure didn't reply.  
  
"Show us your face." Ivan asked.  
  
The figure turned away from them.  
  
"Are you scared?" Ivan asked the figure.  
  
No answer was the firm reply. Isaac watched as Ivan asked his questions and saw a side of this man that he hadn't shown before. It was Garet, once again, who ruined the opportunity for them.  
  
"That's it! I'm taking his on now!" Garet charged up to the figure.  
  
"Garet!" Isaac shouted.  
  
"What the hell is he doing?" Mia asked.  
  
Garet started to swing his sword at the figure. It was then that Garet stopped. Stopped stone cold in his tracks. The man had turned around and was looking directly at Garet. Garet stepped back as soon as the figure stepped forward.  
  
"You want to see my face? You really want to see it?" Garet gulped. Then, without even thinking of the consequences, he grabbed the man's hood and threw it from his head. What they saw was truly surprising.  
  
They saw black hair; they saw what looked to be a normal face. His hair was spiked up in very short spikes, no more than an inch in length. He seemed to be about the same age as they were, although his face showed maturity well beyond his years. When he turned to face them, however, they saw something hideous. A scar. A long one, stretching from the top of his forehead, over and through his left eye and down to his cheek. It was deep and it was obvious that below his left eyelid the eye didn't work. On a closer look, Isaac noticed that the way the scare cut into the skin, it would be impossible for him to open his left eye. He quickly turned away form them, trying to mask his scar. All the hatred that was swelling up in Garet suddenly left him, as if he almost felt pity for the man. Mia walked towards the stranger, closer then Garet.  
  
"Let me look at it. I could heal it for you..." Mia suggested.  
  
"It's impossible." The stranger told her.  
  
"How do you know unless I try?" Mia asked him.  
  
The man didn't turn around again. Mia didn't step away, however. She was determined to get as much information out of him as possible.  
  
"What is your name?" She asked him.  
  
There was a slight pause before he replied. "...Abbadon." He told her.  
  
"We should go below deck, Abbadon. Maybe I could treat it for you. How does that sound?" Abbadon slowly nodded his head, agreeing.  
  
"Okay. You can try." He told her. Both of them walked past the boys and went below deck. Ivan watched them and started to follow them. Isaac put one hand on Ivan's shoulder and shook his head.  
  
"Leave them to it." Isaac told Ivan. Isaac then turned to Garet, who was still slightly spooked by the whole experience. Isaac could see Garet was shaking.  
  
"What's wrong, Garet? Why did you stop?" He asked.  
  
"I didn't," Garet told his friend, "He made me." There was a chilling silence, broken by Ivan.  
  
"What shall we do with the ramp?" He questioned. Isaac had forgotten about the ramp for all this time. Garet had done a good job concerning placing it, so it hadn't drifted away. Isaac looked to Garet. Garet sighed.  
  
"Okay, I'll move it." He slowly trudged over to it and began to pull.  
  
"Thanks." Isaac said to him. With that, Isaac returned to the bow of the vessel and took out the black orb. Ivan walked up there also, took a deep breath and looked out.  
  
"I don't trust him, Isaac." He told his friend.  
  
"Why don't you mind read him? Discover his true motives?" Isaac suggested. For a moment, Ivan's face lit up with a smile, then returned to a frown.  
  
"What if he can mind read too?" Ivan asked.  
  
"Woah! You think he's an Adept?" Garet had only just finished lifting the ramp and had gone to join them when he heard that comment.  
  
"How do you think he made me feel ill?" That question made even Garet pause for thought.  
  
"He's right, Isaac. That person must be an Adept." Garet agreed. Isaac was thinking of other things, however.  
  
"East or west?" He asked.  
  
"What?" Both of the others were confused.  
  
"Shall I go east or west?" Isaac had to make the question clearer before either of them understood it.  
  
"Oh! West, I say." Garet decided.  
  
"Sounds a good idea." Ivan agreed.  
  
"Then it's settled. West we go." And with that, nothing happened on board deck for an hour or so.  
  
Below deck, Mia had Abbadon sat on a chair within her own quarters. Her room was slightly more decorated and fuller than the boys, seen as she had more items to fill it with. Hung up on one of the beams above them was a spare set of clothing in case the one she wore was ruined. Unlike the boys, she had bed instead of a hammock, which she'd made fresh for the following night. By her bed was a backpack, which contained all the items she needed for the journey and also some of her more personnel belongings, which I shall not go into detail about at this moment.  
  
"Hold still for a minute, please." She said to Abbadon as she applied some liquid to his scar. It stung a little, as he flinched slightly when she applied it.  
  
"I'm sorry! Did that..." She asked, trying to gain forgiveness.  
  
"It's alright. It's always stung like that." He assured her. Mia went over to her backpack and got from it a small towel, which she used to dry her hands. She turned to him, only to realise that hew as wasn't looking at her. He was looking into the mirror that was hung up in front of him. He was observing his scar, looking at it. He then spoke.  
  
"I look hideous, don't I?" He asked. Mia was unsure how to answer that. It made her fell a little nervous him asking it. After a moment of thought, she chuckled a little.  
  
"You look fine, trust me." She told him. He smiled a little, then returned to his sad look.  
  
"It's nice of you to say that, but you don't have to lie." He reminded her.  
  
"No, I mean it." She replied. He smiled again.  
  
"Thank you. You're the first person who's told me that before." He said to her. She then put the towel away and looked at his cloak, it's plain black colour almost suspicious in it's own right.  
  
"Why do you hide away, Abbadon?" She asked him. He turned away when she said that, almost as if he was afraid of the answer, "You can tell me." He sighed.  
  
"Four years ago..." He began. Their conversation was cut short.  
  
"Monsters!" Garet shouted from above deck.  
  
Mia looked up and reached for her staff. Abbadon had already started to run up on deck. When Mia got there she saw what they were dealing with.  
  
A Wyvren. It resembled a small dragon and was flying above the boys a good ten metres. They had all drawn their weapons and were ready for combat. Mia stuck back with Abbadon in the distance.  
  
"We can't let it damage the vessel!" Ivan protested.  
  
"I know that, but I don't think it does!" Garet shouted to Ivan. The green monstrosity let out an inhumane shriek and began to dive. It's wings were stretched out wide, revealing a 15 metre wingspan and teeth that could slice through the hull of their Lemurian vessel.  
  
"Brace yourself!" Isaac warned. Garet was ready to slice at the creature, as was Isaac.  
  
What they weren't counting on was that the Wyvren could breath fire. From his mouth he belched a large fireball that hurtled towards them at great speed. Isaac dived out of the way of the projectile, but Garet wasn't so lucky. It almost hit him straight on and he was flung across the deck by the force, the wall of the cabin breaking his fall. Garet was almost knocked cold, being unable to drag himself up easily. Ivan looked at the damage. The Lemurian ship wasn't scratched by the impact, yet the flames now roared, the smoke bellowing high above them. Mia was preparing to use her psynergy when Isaac noticed what the creature was doing next.  
  
The creature had got a considerable distance away fro the ship and was charging another fireball. This time, it aimed at the sea in front of them. What resulted from the impact was a tidal wave. It outsized their vessel.  
  
"So that was what caused that wave!" Isaac gasped. He then drew himself back to the current events, "Ivan! Can you blow that wave away from us?" "I'll certainly try." He replied. Ivan clasped his hands and with a large pulse of psynergy, blew a sonic waves the dwarfed any he's ever done before. It had clearly drained him of all his psynergy as he fell, only being supported by his staff. The sonic wave flew to meet its target and for a second, it looked like it could actually stem the wave. The wyvren, however, had other plans. It flapped it's wings as hard as it could, increasing the speed and power of the wave that now hurtled towards them.  
  
"It's not going to do it! The waves gained too much strength!" Ivan shouted. And with that, the wave disrupted the sonic wave and continued on it's assault, only slightly hindered by Ivan's attack.  
  
"Get ready!" Isaac warned. Isaac, using all of his power, created a shield around the front of the vessel, hoping it would shield them from most of the impact. To his surprise, it did little of the sort. The foam the erupted onto the deck carried Ivan and Isaac across to where Garet now was. He'd only just managed to pick himself up and was soon knocked over again by the incoming wave. Even Mia was unable to hold her ground and pretty soon she'd fallen over also. Only Abbadon remained standing in the watery inferno.  
  
Eventually, it reseeded, leaving the crew dazed and exhausted. They knew that they had no chance against the creature. It wasn't it's power, but it's tactics that had beaten them. They watched however, as Abbadon walked onto the deck and beckoned to the creature in anger.  
  
"Hey!" He shouted.  
  
The Wyvren stopped and turned to face him.  
  
"What the hell is he doing?" Garet cursed.  
  
"If you want to pick on someone, pick on me!" Abbadon shouted to his foe. The wyvren screeched a battle cry and flew in to meet the new challenge. Abbadon drew no weapon to attack his foe with, simply standing on the deck, looking foreboding.  
  
"He's a mad man!" Garet shouted.  
  
"He's our only hope." Isaac told Garet.  
  
The Wyvren charged up another fireball and hurled it towards Abbadon. Abbadon stretched both his hands out and moved them in an arc. In front of their very eyes, a white barrier appeared in front of him, translucent in colour and powerful in appearance. All watched empowered by awe as the barrier, it disappearing with the projectile, absorbed the fireball. The wyvren, that was fully expecting a raging Firestorm shrieked in dissatisfaction and started to dive towards Abbadon. It was then that abbadon drew his blade. A long handle, capable of two hands, was pulled to visibility from under his cloak. A red velvet like material, the blade a glistening silver, padded the handle. The blade itself was slightly longer than Isaac's and the same thickness, being more a long sword than a rapier. He held it with both hands, as if he were about to take off someone's head with the first swipe. The creature came up close to him and was about to swipe it's own claws, the sharp black talons looking quite capable in their job, when he took his shot. A swipe that was straight and horizontal, he cut a deep wound into the wyvren's chest. It howled in agony and the wound, the lashed out with it's tail, flicking it towards him. Abbadon jumped the tail with ease, then flipping backwards to avoid the first and second swipe of it's claws. The wyvren shrieked for a third the and prepared to hurl another fireball, this time at the cabin itself where abbadon was standing close to. By now the others had stood themselves up and were prepared to join in. Before they could charge, Abbadon raised his hand in defiance.  
  
"No. This is my fight. Go back. Into the cabin." He ordered.  
  
"Hey, I'm not taking any orders from nobody!" Garet shouted.  
  
The fireball had been emitted. Abbadon didn't look to it, instead he shouted at them.  
  
"Move!" He beckoned. This time, they didn't hesitate. The four of them filed into the room and watched through the various portholes. Isaac couldn't believe what he was seeing. Abbadon, from his hand, threw a small white fireball, it dwarfed by the hot ball of molten energy the wyvren had emitted. Both impacted shortly after and in mid air, a large white flash erupting as a result. The creature flicked its head away and stammered in the air, dazed by the flash. Abbadon, however, wasn't. He stared the glow white as he charged towards the creature. He bent his legs and, with a leap, jumped. He jumped high, higher than any of them had before. He had leapt over ten metres to where the creature's head was. He'd already sheathed his blade and had now grabbed onto the wyvren's head with his hands, his legs propped onto its neck.  
  
"What the..." Garet gasped.  
  
The wyvren howled as from his very self; he emitted a tremendous explosion, his being thrown several metres from the wyvren. The wyvren was blasted mush further, however. It was far from the ship by the time it had stopped. It wailed in agony, as if blinded. Then, without another sound, it started to fly away from the ship. The four of them watched as Abbadon fell, looking like he wouldn't make it onto the ship. Mia gasped in horror as he fell past the side. There was no splash, however. They stepped towards the side, hoping not to see him floating in the sea.  
  
A hand clasped itself on to the side. It startled them, but only for a moment. A second later, another hand clasped the side. Then, Abbadon, himself unhurt, shimmied himself back onto the deck of the ship. He brushed himself off and brushed his had through his hair, then sighed. He then, without even talking to any of the others, looked out to the sea again.  
  
"I'm sure it's gone now!" Garet told Abbadon. Straight after that, Abbadon started to run back towards them.  
  
"Brace yourselves!" He shouted.  
  
The ship rocked vigorously under the shockwave emitted from the last tidal wave. Ivan fell over quickly, yet Isaac and Garet held onto the side. Mia, however, was not so lucky. For she was by the side of the deck where the ship was hit when it happened. She screamed for a split second, and then lifelessly fell off the side into the water.  
  
"Mia!" Isaac shouted as he saw her fall. All of them ran over to the side to see the splash she made. Garet was struck dumb by it. Ivan was stunned. Abbadon had already removed his cloak and sword. He ran to the side of the deck and jumped.  
  
"What on earth..." Garet shouted.  
  
"Leave him!" Isaac hissed.  
  
Garet grumbled again. All waited for signs of either of them. Ivan was close to crying. Garet was pacing up and down the deck. Isaac was by Ivan, trying to calm him down. Within the minute, there was the sound of another splash and a deep breath being taken. All ran back to the side to see Abbadon, soaked through, holding Mia in his left arm. She looked blue and cold, not breathing.  
  
"Get me a rope!" Abbadon beckoned. Ivan had thrown one down the second he asked for one and, with that, he climbed up the side and gave Mia to Garet, who ran to the boy's quarters with her in his arms. Isaac went in also, leaving Ivan outside, with Abbadon. Ivan turned to see the soaked man walking to his cloak and putting it back on. He also put his sword belt back on his waist and walked straight past him.  
  
"Abbadon..." Ivan said calmly. Abbadon stopped and turned his head to look at Ivan for a second, who was still close to tears. He was waiting; waiting for someone to tell him it would all be all right, that she'd be alight.  
  
"I can't answer that, Ivan. Search inside yourself for your answer." With that, he walked by the boy's quarters to the back of the ship. Ivan was left there, standing alone, puzzled. Then, he realised something.  
  
"He... he read my mind!" He thought.  
  
"Where the hell is it?" Garet shouted. He'd been rummaging through Isaac's back for the past ten seconds, looking frantically for it.  
  
"The Water of Life is at the bottom, with the herbs!" Isaac shouted. He was by Mia, who was on the floor, still wet, still out cold. Garet eventually reached the bottom of the bag, still grumbling.  
  
"Why'd you put it at the bottom anyway? They're that important, you'd put them at the top!" He moaned.  
  
"If I put them at the top, they'd break!" Isaac shouted back, "Now hurry up! I don't know how long she's got!" A few moment's later, Garet pulled out a bottle with yellow liquid.  
  
"This it?" Garet shouted. Isaac turned to him. He nodded.  
  
"That's it! Bring it here!" He ordered. Garet passed it to his friend, who then pulled the cork out quickly; yet trying not to spill it's contents. Isaac opened Mia's mouth very slowly and then, with the utmost care, poured the liquid into here mouth. Now, he waited. He wanted her to swallow it herself, but if that wasn't possible, he knew he'd have to force it down her throat.  
  
"Come on, drink it..."Isaac said, almost as if he was begging for that to happen.  
  
Sure enough, she swallowed the Water of Life. A second later, she coughed. She started coughing uncontrollably, spurting water out that was once in her lungs. Garet went to her.  
  
"It's alright. You're safe now." Isaac assured her.  
  
"Wha... what happened?" She asked them.  
  
"Well, this big wyvren came up..." Garet began.  
  
"She knows that!" Isaac reminded him.  
  
"Oh yeah, you were there!" Isaac sighed with that comment, "Well, after that man had beaten the wyvren it flew away and caused a tidal wave, probably when it fell in the water and died. You were flung off the boat and into the water. He then went in after you and brought you back up to the surface and onto the ship. I then carried you into here, where I found a water of life at the bottom of his back. He poured it into your mouth, and then you woke up. There. The last five minutes in a nutshell."  
  
"That's it?" Mia asked.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Isaac seemed concerned at that.  
  
"It seemed like I was in the water forever..." She commented, "Until he got me out of there."  
  
"You could still tell what was happening? I thought you were out cold." Garet puzzled.  
  
"Remember, I'm a mercury adept. Water is my element." She reminded him.  
  
"Oh!" Garet said, remembering all of a sudden.  
  
"We'll leave you rest for a little, then we'll have to talk about him." Isaac told Mia.  
  
"I'll be alright. I'll go to my own quarters and heal up." She said, slowly standing up herself.  
  
"Alright. We'll be here when you're ready." Isaac replied. Mia slowly walked out of the room to be greeted by Ivan, who was more than happy to see her. It took her a few minutes to get past him and to her own quarters, where she lay on her bed and rested. There she thought, of what had happened in this day and of the battle. She marvelled at Abbadon's ability in combat, but knew that, despite what the others thought, he was a caring person at heart. She sighed as she closed her eyes and slept.  
  
Nightfall came and with it, the meeting began. Abbadon hadn't been invited, naturally and was standing at the stern of the ship, looking at the sea and at the remnants of land that were the mainland as Mia came from her quarters, refreshed after her nap. It was a cold night, the wind bringing with it a chill that sent a shiver down her spine.  
  
She walked up to where Abbadon was standing and stood next to him, looking at what was to be their last sight of their home continent for what Mia thought was to be a long time. Abbadon didn't look like he was cold as he stood there, arms crossed.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" He commented. She could see the rows of trees and the sandy beaches of her home as they passed by the lit Mercury Lighthouse. It light was almost soothing to her and she felt a sense of home.  
  
"Yes, it is," She agreed. Silence reigned for a few solitary moments. She then began to speak, "Thank you." She said.  
  
"For what?" He asked.  
  
"For saving me." She said. He sighed and shook his head.  
  
"No, you shouldn't be thanking me. It was my fault." He said, hanging his head low.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.  
  
"I should have known the wyvren's body would make a tidal wave. If I'd have told all of you, you wouldn't have fallen in at all," He turned from her and walked away. "I feel terrible. I put you and everyone else in danger. I am a fool." Sadness seemed to be in his voice, yet there was no sign of him becoming teary. He let his arms hang down by his sides, "I don't deserve your thanks. I don't deserve any of it." He began to walk away.  
  
"Abbadon." She said to him. Surprisingly, he stopped. "Don't blame yourself. We all make mistakes."  
  
"You nearly died. I can never forgive myself for that." He said, kicking himself emotionally.  
  
"but you stopped that. Even though you made a mistake, you corrected it. You stopped anyone being hurt. If you weren't there, we would have all died." Abbadon turned his head to her.  
  
"They're talking about me in there." He said.  
  
"How do you know?" She asked.  
  
"I just do," He walked towards her and then stood back along side her, "They aren't going to let me stay. Garet disliked me on sight. I scare Ivan. Isaac, even though he wants to, doesn't trust me. He thinks I'm suspicious." Mia chuckled slightly.  
  
"You're just being paranoid! They wouldn't think that!" She couldn't believe what Abbadon had said to her.  
  
"I can sense it." He said in reply. She then asked a more personnel question. "Are you... an adept?" "Yes. I am an adept. I can wield Psynergy. I think, however, that that was obvious enough," He was right, she knew. No normal man could've done what he did. He then turned to her, "You should go talk to them."  
  
"But..." She protested.  
  
"I'll be fine. I'm used to the cold." His voice was always full of sorrow, Mia had noticed. He rarely spoke with a happy tone or in a relaxed manner. He also noticed that he was always critical of himself.  
  
She walked away from the stern and towards the boy's quarters. She could already hear there talking.  
  
"I don't trust him." Garet started.  
  
"Let's not jump to conclusions." Isaac told him.  
  
"Remember, Isaac. The last time we met someone with that kind of power was three years ago, when Saturos and Mernaidi tried to get into the Sol Sanctum. Such power only means evil," Garet argued, "Besides, there's something about him I can't put my finger on."  
  
"Is that what made you stop when you were going to attack him?" Ivan asked.  
  
"yeah, that's it. Did you sense it too?" Mia didn't know what Garet was talking about. Mia didn't 'sense' anything odd about Abbadon. To her, it seemed like Garet was simply making up excuses to have him leave. Mia walked in to find Isaac thinking and sat down. It seemed that Ivan and Garet were trying to present their case to Isaac and make him agree with them. The two standing boys noticed Mia's entrance.  
  
"Mia, tell Isaac what a weird guy that guy is." Garet asked.  
  
"He has a name, you know." Mia told Garet.  
  
"Does that matter?" Garet asked her.  
  
"Have you actually talked to him?" Mia asked to them. Garet and Ivan looked at each other, then back to Mia.  
  
"Do we have to? He's trouble, Mia. Anyone could see that a mile off." Ivan said to her. Isaac was still thinking at that time.  
  
"So you're going to cast him out simply because you don't like the look of him?" Mia was getting frustrated with Garet. Isaac could see this and stood up to settle the matter.  
  
"I've decided that if Abbadon is to cause this much tension, then he is not worth taking with us. I don't want us to be torn apart by this. We have our mission and I want to stick by it," He said. Then, turning to Mia, he said, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Not as much as I am." She said, stepping out of the quarters. Garet shook his head and looked to Isaac.  
  
"Glad to see you agree with me on something!" Garet said, finally smiling for the first time that night.  
  
"I'm not agreeing with you, Garet," Isaac told him. Garet stopped smiling when Isaac said, "I'm just trying to prevent things from getting out of hand." Ivan looked to the exit.  
  
"Shouldn't we tell Abbadon?" He suggested. Garet and Isaac seemed to agree as they all walked out and to the stern. Mia was with Abbadon; both looking out to the mainland, now only must visible thanks to the light from the Mercury Lighthouse. Mia turned round when they arrived; yet Abbadon did not.  
  
"Abbadon?" Isaac said, trying to get Abbadon's attention. Abbadon did not turn round.  
  
"I'm listening." He told them.  
  
"I'm sorry, we're not going to let you have transport on our vessel. We're going to drop you off at the nearest point we can." Isaac tried to be as calm as possible, yet he had a slight sense of fear, almost anticipating him getting absolutely mad. He, however, did no such thing.  
  
"Any particular reason?" He asked.  
  
"I feel that you create tension among my companions. No offence, I'm sure you're a nice person at heart..." Isaac didn't get to finish.  
  
"He is a nice person! You haven't even tried to accept him!" Mia argued.  
  
"And I suppose you have?" Garet said, with a slight of anger.  
  
"What's that meant to mean?" She asked, shocked by Garet's bluntness.  
  
"He saved your life, yes. But anyone could have done that!" Garet was starting to get angry with Mia's defiance.  
  
"Did I see you jumping into the sea?" She asked.  
  
"I don't want to cause a fuss." Abbadon told Mia.  
  
"Well, someone's got to do it," Mia replied, "If he goes, I do." Garet laughed, deeply and with a passion. "Oh, that funny! You, leaving!" Garet's laughter wasn't met with the best reply. Mia folded her arms again. Abbadon looked to her directly. Garet, realising that it wasn't such of a joke, stopped laughing.  
  
"You're serious..." Garet realised.  
  
"You don't have to do this for me..." Abbadon said again.  
  
"If I don't do it, a big miscarriage of justice will be done." Mia felt like she was on the moral high ground, looking down on the others. Garet turned to Isaac.  
  
"What shall we do?" Garet wondered.  
  
"What can we do?" Ivan asked.  
  
"We can either let him come along, or Mia goes with him." Isaac told them.  
  
"I knew that!" Garet blurted out.  
  
Isaac stepped up to Abbadon, who was now standing quite uncomfortably. His arms were still folded, and he wasn't looking at any of them, expect down the floor in the opposite direction to Mia. When Isaac was next to him, Abbadon met his gaze. His blue eye met Isaac's. Isaac saw a glow in the man's eye that he'd never seen before in anyone else. Isaac put out his hand to shake his.  
  
"Welcome aboard." Isaac said. Abbadon looked at the hand and chuckled, quietly and only slightly. He then clasped Isaac's hand and shook it. Garet stood there, amazed. Ivan, however, was less shocked. Isaac then turned away to the rest of the troop.  
  
"I think it's time we turned in," Isaac suggested, and then turned to Abbadon, "You coming?" Abbadon shook his head.  
  
"I'd rather sleep under the starts, thank you." With that he turned back to his view of the Mercury Lighthouse. Isaac and the others went to their quarters. Mia stayed there and watched. Abbadon turned to her.  
  
"You don't have to stay." Abbadon told her.  
  
"No. I want to." She said to him.  
  
"Very well." He said as he turned to the view. 


	2. Confrontation

All five of them were eating in the galley the next morning. There stock of food was, obviously, very high, being only into the second day of their journey. As a result, there was mixed amounts of eating on the table where they all sat. Garet, as always, was eating enough to feed two of them. Isaac and Mia were eating a fair portion of food, which was adequate. Ivan was easting considerably less, partially because of his age and size, partially because he saw that Abbadon had eaten nothing but an apple and two oranges.  
  
The Garet hadn't noticed how little Abbadon had eaten and was instead talking about their plans.  
  
"Once I get to Lemuria, I'm going to eat the largest meal I've ever had because when I'm on this ship, eating these rations, I'm starving most of the time!" Isaac shook his head.  
  
"You eat like a horse, Garet, regardless of what rations we have!" Isaac's comment seemed pretty hurtful to Garet, as he then turned to his food and began to eat again, without gracing him with a reply.  
  
"How do we even know we're even going in the right direction?" Ivan asked Isaac. Isaac thought about this for a moment, and then shrugged.  
  
"We don't." He said reluctantly. Garet spat out the contents of his mouth in shock. Mia turned away in disgust.  
  
"You mean we could..." He gulped nervously, "Run out of food?"  
  
"Of course he means that," Mia replied,"You knew the risks before we went on this mission."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me before?" He shouted, now scared witless of the prospect of no food. He quickly put all of his food that was still on his plate back into the cellar below. Abbadon stood up and followed him. Seconds later, both emerged, Garet empty handed, Abbadon with a small leg of meat in his hand. When he sat down, he started slowly eating the meat from the bone.  
  
"I've got an idea to kill the time!" Garet suggested.  
  
"No, Garet, we're not going to guess all the foods you've just eaten!" Ivan said that with a sense of boredom.  
  
"No, I've got a different idea!" With that said, the other three watched him, wondering what could be more fun for him then others talking about themselves.  
  
"Well? What is it?" Ivan asked.  
  
"Let's try and guess..." Garet began.  
  
"Oh god!" Isaac sighed.  
  
"Let me finish!" Garet whined, "Let's guess what clan Abbadon's from!" That idea got all of the looking at Abbadon, who'd just, finished placing his bone into the bone bucket. He was almost intrigued at why everyone was looking at him, then sat back down.  
  
"I want to guess first!" Garet said, putting Ivan out of the running of winning so easily, as he usually did. Garet had sussed that Ivan used his mind reading trick to find out whatever knowledge he needed. Garet took a deep breath and a few moments of thought, then blurted out:  
  
"Abbadon, you're from... the Mars Clan!" He concluded.  
  
"Who could've guessed you'd say that?" Isaac's voice was full of sarcasm.  
  
Abbadon simply shook his head.  
  
"Wrong." He said softly. Ivan then stood up.  
  
"For reasons that are my own..." Ivan started.  
  
"Interior intelligence on the matter..." Garet cursed. He hated being beaten by Ivan.  
  
"...I think that you, Abbadon, are of the Jupiter clan!" He seemed to have a smile that showed how certain he thought he was. Abbadon shook his head and chuckled.  
  
"No where near." Ivan's face turned to confusion then went grumpy himself.  
  
"Then you have to be of the Venus clan." Isaac concluded.  
  
"What makes you say that?" Abbadon asked the leader.  
  
"Well, Mercury Adepts have blue hair." He pointed out.  
  
"That's true, yet you are also wrong," Isaac sat back, bewildered, "And no, Mia, I am not from your clan either." He stood up and stepped away form the table, "looks like you all lose." He walked away, leaving a very confused team.  
  
"One of us has to be right, don't we?" Garet asked.  
  
"Well, I know that he can read minds..." Ivan told them. The others looked at him strangely.  
  
"When did you discover this?" Isaac asked him.  
  
"Shortly after he pulled Mia out of the water." Ivan said, remembering back to that moment. Mia suddenly turned as red as a beetroot, leaving the room with the up most haste.  
  
"What's with her?" Garet asked.  
  
"Beats me." Garet shrugged.  
  
"Shouldn't we be up there, scouting for land?" Ivan suggested. With all the recent excitement, they'd forgotten their mission.  
  
"You're right. Let's go!" Isaac said.  
  
The three of them walked back onto deck to see Abbadon looking at something that Isaac couldn't see.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Ivan asked Abbadon.  
  
"Look and see." Abbadon told him. Isaac squinted his eyes, trying to look at what appeared to be just the vast ocean. It was then that Ivan pointed out of the boat.  
  
"It's over there! I can see it now!" Ivan said joyfully.  
  
Isaac looked again. This time, he saw something. It was only small but it seemed to be tall. Very tall. Garet still couldn't make out what on earth Ivan was getting excited about. Then, Isaac recognised the familiarity.  
  
"A lighthouse!" Isaac said, stunned.  
  
"Yes. The Jupiter lighthouse. It has not been lit." Abbadon told them. Ivan turned to Abbadon.  
  
"You've been there?" Ivan asked him.  
  
"I've been to all of the lighthouses, Ivan. This one, however, is the most beautiful." Abbadon explained. Garet ran to the entrance of Mia's quarters.  
  
"Mia! Come on deck! We've found the Jupiter Lighthouse!" Garet shouted, then rushing back to actually find it for himself. By the time Mia had come back up on deck, Garet had located where it actually was and was almost thrilled to bits with the news. Mia, however, looked shaken, as if she had just discovered her worst nightmare.  
  
"What's up Mia?" Isaac asked.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing, I'm fine." Mia said quickly, trying to shrug off the attention.  
  
"She's nervous." Abbadon told them.  
  
"It's alright to be nervous, Mia. We'll stop the lighthouse being lit, don't you worry." Garet assured her. She smiled and nodded weakly, then went back to looking at it.  
  
"It's about a day's sailing till we reach it. You'd all better rest up and get ready." Abbadon told them.  
  
"Aren't you going to rest?" Ivan asked.  
  
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Abbadon replied. Ivan turned round and walked to the galley. Isaac got out the black orb in preparation to turn the ship around. Garet looked for a while longer, then noticed that Mia had gone to the other part of the ship. Garet thought that was strange; she usually enjoys being with people. He decided to check that out himself. That left Isaac and Abbadon as the only two still by the bow of the vessel. Isaac had already turned the vessel to the right trajectory and was now standing there with nothing to do. Isaac looked around for something to keep himself buy with, then decided he'd pay Ivan a visit. As he was walking away, he stopped. He heard Garet and Mia.  
  
"Come on, what's up?" Garet asked her. Mia said nothing as a reply.  
  
"It's him, isn't it?" Garet asked.  
  
"No..." Mia said in defence of the person.  
  
"It is! I knew it!" Footsteps were then heard, followed by the drawing of a sword. Isaac saw Garet, fury in his eyes, approaching Abbadon, sword armed.  
  
"Garet, what are you going?" Isaac shouted.  
  
"What have you done to Mia?" Garet beckoned to Abbadon. Abbadon didn't reply. Ivan came out of the men's quarters, looking like he'd just woken up from what would've been a deep sleep.  
  
"What's happening?" Ivan asked.  
  
"Answer, swine! What have you done?" Garet shouted again.  
  
"I've done nothing." Abbadon calmly said, not even turning round to face Garet.  
  
"You liar!" Garet shouted.  
  
"Garet, snap out of it!" Mia pleaded, grabbing his arm. Garet flung her off him, her falling to the floor. Abbadon sighed.  
  
"Isaac, get Mia and Ivan to the galley, out of harms way." Abbadon asked him. At first, Isaac did nothing.  
  
"Please," Abbadon said to him, "I'll be fine." Isaac then got both of them and let them to the galley, out of harms way.  
Garet was filling with rage. His sword was held in both hands and he was ready to strike at a moment's notice. Abbadon still didn't turn around, looking instead at the lighthouse.  
  
"Why don't you trust me, Garet?" Abbadon asked. Garet spat on the floor.  
  
"What is there to trust about you?" Garet sneered. Garet stepped closer. He didn't notice that the Mia had now left the galley and was watching. Of all of them, Mia was the one most concerned. For who, however, was anyone's guess.  
  
"I'm not going to fight you, Garet." Abbadon said. He unbuckled his belt, which had attached to it his scabbard, and dropped it to the floor.  
  
"Something's been preying on my mind since I first met you," Garet began, "That scar. Where did you get it?" Abbadon didn't answer. Garet then started to shout, "Where did you get it?"  
  
"Do you really want to know?" Abbadon asked him. Garet didn't say anything, "Very well. It was four years ago, when I was twelve..." Mia's face suddenly lit up.  
  
"He tried to tell me this story," She said to herself, trying not to draw attention to herself. "It's why he hides away..."  
  
"I was born a blessed child, gifted with ancient psynergy of a forgotten and previously extinct clan..."  
  
"How can I believe this? You've probably spent years mastering this make believe tale!" Garet asked critically. Abbadon ignored him.  
  
"...I am of the Neptune Clan, which holds power over the element of magic, the forgotten power of this world. No creature or being uses magic anymore. Psynergy has spread, even to my clan, where it morphed magic into this form, my psynergy" He paused for a moment, and then continued, "Mia realised that after you played your little game. That was why she ran out and is now shaken."  
  
"How can that scare her?" Garet asked, still full of rage.  
  
"My parents always fought with one another, but when they discovered my lineage they set aside their differences and vowed to protect me with their lives. They researched into my heritage and discovered of my powers. My sword is the symbol of my people, kept in my lighthouse, which has now been destroyed by psynergy," He lifted something from off his chest and took it off. It was a pendant, a pendant of pure silver in the shape of an ankh, a lot like the one Mia had on the top of her staff, "This Ankh once represented the peace that our people had with the psynergy wielders and it was used as a symbol of good will among all adepts for many generations." Mia looked at her staff and indeed saw the exact same design on it, a plain, unadorned ankh.  
  
"What does this have anything to do with Mia?" Garet asked aggressively.  
  
"It was the Mercury Clan that broke that peace. They accused us of weakening psynergy with our powers. Magic and psynergy had co-existed as essences of power for all of time, yet now that eco-system was threatened. We defended our people and our way of life from the Mercury Clan for a hundred years until they finally crushed us, killing all who could wield magical powers. They went to the Sol Sanctum and shattered our elemental star, trying to destroy every hint or sign of our existence."  
  
Garet still had his sword ready for combat. Mia was absorbing all of what he said.  
  
If Garet was or not wasn't clear.  
  
"But someone did survive the war. He was my ancestor. He resided in the ruins of the lighthouse and lived there. Around it, a small village formed, protected by his power. The power of magic was passed on through the generations of that village, yet seemed to die out when the power of the lighthouse disappeared. Then, when I was born, that power re-emerged," Abbadon then hug his head low, "Four years ago, some strangers came into town, four of them. I could tell they possessed powers like I did. I tried to warn people of the danger, yet they were too excited by their arrival. They entered the ruins of the lighthouse, with the mayor. Seconds later, an explosion occurred inside. We all waited, watched. All except my parents and myself," He sighed and shook his head, "They destroyed everything, killed everyone. There powers were all too strong for any of us. They came to my house. My parents died protecting me, like they promised they would. They all came upstairs and found me, cornered me. I attacked, blasting a very small ball of energy form my hands. This annoyed one of them, the one with the blue skin. The one with the burning sword."  
  
"Saturos..." Garet muttered. Mia had worked that out too.  
  
"The others said they should leave me, come get me later, after they'd done their business here. Saturos agreed, yet he still struck at me," He stroked his scar, as if the pain was still there. Mia knew it was, "They left. I didn't want to go with them, so I ran to the temple. I grabbed the sword and put on the pendant. The cloak I took from my father's back. Then I ran. I ran out of the burning village, through the forests, into the wilderness. I have been travelling ever since, looking for a group like yourself." Garet stepped closer.  
  
"Don't you long for revenge?" Garet asked.  
  
"He's dead. I felt my it in my heart when he died, but the pain is still there, Garet. That will never go away." Abbadon went silent after that.  
  
"Ah, that was sweet," Garet said sarcastically, "Am I supposed to give you sympathy now? Well I don't feel a drop of it in my blood." He stepped closer.  
  
"If you strike at me, Garet, your heart will be of a crueller black than Saturos ever had." Abbadon warned.  
  
"Well, that's just how it has to be. I don't like you, trust you, I don't want to be near you. I want you gone. It was better when there was just four of us, when we were one unit, all united. You've torn us apart." Garet said with a passion.  
  
"And you think killing me with unite you all again?" Abbadon asked. He'd not even raised his voice the whole, yet it seemed he had complete control.  
  
"It's a start!" Garet shouted as he charged towards Abbadon.  
  
"Garet, stop!" Mia shouted. It fell on deaf ears, as Garet was no longer listening. Garet screamed as he charged towards Abbadon, full of purpose and intent. Then, without a warning, Abbadon vanished. Garet stopped running and looked around him, searching for any clue as to his whereabouts. He found none.  
  
"I'm not going to fight you, neither I am going a re-appear now. Return to your friends. They will be worried about you." Garet grunted in anger and stamped his foot in protest. Then, without another word, he stormed to the galley, nearing barging straight into Mia. She was left standing there, contemplating what he had said, on an empty deck.  
  
A few minutes later, he reappeared in exactly the same spot he was in before. He hadn't moved at all, merely rendered himself invisible, she concluded. He's already put his belt back on. He was leaning on the side, shaking his head. He clenched his fist and smashed it onto the side in anger.  
  
"Abbadon..." She said.  
  
"Don't feel like you have to apologise," He said, not turning round to her, "None of this was your fault."  
  
"I can't believe what my clan did to yours." She said to him.  
  
"It was a long time ago, Mia. People have changed," He turned to her. She could almost see that he was in pain on the inside.  
  
"You don't have to contain it, Abbadon." She said to him. He smiled faintly.  
  
"I've learned not to cry, Mia. It doesn't solve anything. Pain can be controlled, filtered," He then shook his head, "Garet is right. I have torn your group apart."  
  
"Don't listen to Garet. He's a little head strong." She was trying to persuade him that all of this wasn't his fault.  
  
"After you have done your business with the lighthouse, you can leave me behind." He suggested.  
  
"What?" She couldn't believe what he was saying.  
  
"I won't disrupt your group anymore after that. You can continue your quest unhindered."  
  
"If you go, I'll go. I'm not letting them drive you out." She told him. She stepped up towards her, until they were standing right in front of each other.  
  
"No, Mia. Your place is here, with your friends. It's not with me." He reminded her.  
  
"But you are one of my friends." She said to him. He smiled at that.  
  
"Here, take this," From his pocket he drew a ring, a plain ring it appeared at first sight. It was silver, like most of his other belongings, "It was my mothers. My father gave it to her when I was born." He placed it in her hand and clasped her hand for her.  
  
"I can't accept this." She told him. She felt embarrassed with what he was doing.  
  
"If you are really my friend, you will." He told her. He walked away, to the other side of the ship. She unclasped her hand and looked at the ring. She noticed that there were actually words engraved on it. She read them carefully, one at a time.  
  
Through all the pain, fear, anger, there will still be out bond. Forever it will grow stronger, till when we meet in the eternal embrace. Such is our friendship.  
  
For a reason that she didn't fully understand, she placed it on her middle finger. It fitted perfectly.  
  
The morning arrived. With it, the ship dew to the nearby shore, a mere stone throw away from the lighthouse. All had drawn their weapons and were ready for anything that anyone could throw at them. Isaac led the group, as always, stepping cautiously towards the entrance. There was a stone pathway leading to the entrance, which was open. The two statues were very similar to the design of those in front of the other lighthouses. Ivan ran up to the entrance and looked around, distressed.  
  
"They're already here!" Ivan shouted to his companions. Abbadon knelt down and grabbed a small amount of mud and smelt it.  
  
"They've not been here long." Abbadon assured Ivan. "Let's just hope we get there in time." Isaac hoped. The team slowly moved into the entrance room. Abbadon had already got out his sword, held with his tight and and supported on his shoulder. Garet looked to Abbadon and drew his own sword. The interior of the temple was very spacious, the ceiling being very high up. When Isaac looked up, he noticed that the ceiling only stopped right at the top of the tower. He Also noticed the extreme cold that the constant gushes of wind brought. Abbadon and Ivan carried on regardless, progressing further into the hall. All looked around the walls to see various doorways and ledges scattered at different points and increasing heights. Ivan stopped looking first.  
  
"It's a maze..." He concluded.  
  
"What kind of maze?" Isaac asked.  
  
"We have to find the correct tunnel route to the top of the tower." Ivan replied. Garet was already shivering and trying to shelter from the wind.  
  
"And if we don't?" Garet asked, still trying to reduce the chill.  
  
"You don't want to know." Abbadon told him.  
  
"We should stay together. We don't want to be caught apart." Isaac suggested. All seemed to agree. Ivan was caught up in the elegance of the carvings.  
  
"It's so stunning..." Ivan said out loud.  
  
"I wonder how long it took to make this place?" Mia asked herself.  
  
"One hundred years," Abbadon told them. Ivan looked to him for more information, "All the five lighthouses were built at the same time." Ivan and Isaac looked to each other.  
  
"Five?" They puzzled.  
  
"Yes. Five, one for each of the elements in the world." Ivan and Isaac thought on it for a minute, and then shrugged. Mia and Garet hadn't stopped to think it through, yet had stopped by the entrance of the caves.  
  
"Lead the way, Ivan." Garet called. Nervously, Ivan took the lead and, very slowly, they started traversing the long and narrow passageways.  
  
They didn't encounter a single dead end. Ivan's directions proved fruitful as, each time they found an opening to the main hall, they found that they were higher than before. Garet could barely fit through the narrow passageways, as he had a very broad build up. Mia and Ababdon were next to each other, one behind the other, as they traversed the tunnels.  
  
"You're still going to leave, aren't you?" She whispered.  
  
"You're still going to try and stop me?" He whispered back, "I'm serious. You're group would be better off without me." She then lost her footing and, with her being behind him, he only heard the crash. The group stopped and looked. She'd quickly picked himself up. She then looked down at what she'd stumbled on. She gasped in horror.  
  
"It's a bone!" she shrieked. Ivan couldn't see and was trying to jump up to look at it. Garet nearly threw up, turning around, trying to get afresh breath of air. Abbadon shook his head.  
  
"This is why Ivan is leading the way," Abbadon explained, "Only a wind adept can find the right route. Anyone else gets lost, regardless of what map he or she is following," He shoved his hand into the area near the bone, then now realising it was full of sand. Mia flinched as he pulled out what she feared was another bone, but what actually was a pendant. He looked at the insignia on it and sighed.  
  
"This was a mars adept. May he rest in peace. He put the pendant back in the sand.  
  
"Let's keep going, Ivan." Ivan nodded and, without looking back, continued. Garet tapped Abbadon on the shoulder. "How do you know he was a man?" He asked curiously. "Easy," Abbadon replied, looking down at the bone, "That leg bone is too thick to be a woman's." With that he started to walk on. Garet took a large step over the bone and didn't even think of peering back for a closer look.  
  
A minute later, Ivan shouted from the front of the group.  
  
"We're at the top!" Joy was in his voice. He wasn't the only one to be pleased about it.  
  
"Finally! I thought we were going to be in these tunnel's all day!" Garet grumbled.  
  
"We nearly have." Abbadon told him.  
  
Sure enough, it was almost sunset outside. The views from the lighthouse were spectacular. Looking one way, you could see an endless forest of trees, the other glimpses of their homeland. The trees were set in the backdrop of a great mountain range. Many were so taken in by the view that they weren't noticing the drama that was unfolding near the beacon.  
  
"Look!" Abbadon told them. They all looked to the beacon itself. Standing there, sure enough were Alex and Felix. Both Sheba and Jenna were by him, Kraden standing by Alex. Sheba looked pretty rough, her blonde hair having some dirt in it, some bruises on her face and a slight sorrow about her. Jenna looked concerned, but if that was for herself or Sheba they couldn't tell. Both Felix and Alex were talking, about what they couldn't tell. Everyone else was readying themselves, when Mia realised that Abbadon was already ready. His left fist was clinched tightly, as if he was trying to contain some raging anger. His breathing started to get deep and uneven. Then, without a word warning, he almost started to charge forward. Garet grabbed him before he revealed them all to Alex and Felix.  
  
"Whoa, easy there! You want to get killed?" What Garet was less a warning and more of view of what would've happened if he had charged in there.  
  
"Try to contain the anger, Abbadon." Mia advised.  
  
"I owe them a world of pain." He said to her as he tried to control his breathing.  
  
"Looks like we're ready, Isaac." Ivan told him. Isaac looked up to see that Alex had in her hand the Jupiter elemental star. Isaac knew it was now or never.  
  
"Let's go!" they all ran in on the two of them as they were about to throw it in. Isaac knew that he couldn't get there in time to stop him. Abbadon had other plans. From his pocket he drew a small knife and stopped. Nobody noticed as he threw the knife, it spinning through the air like a bird in flames. Isaac heard the scream Alex shouted as the knife plunged into his hand. He looked at it, then at who threw it. He dropped the elemental star, it bouncing on the floor and careering to a stop in front of Alex.  
  
"You!" Alex said, surprised at there appearance.  
  
"The games up, Alex! Turn over Sheba!" Garet demanded. Alex laughed, a deep laugh.  
  
"Is that all you are concerned about? Your friends? You're lucky she's still alive." He didn't seem as calm as he always was.  
  
"What's the matter, Alex?" Abbadon sneered sarcastically, "Upset because of your friends deaths?" Alex threw the knife back to Abbadon with that remark, Surprisingly, Abbadon caught it in mid air, blade first. Blood trickled from his hand as he clasped it, then put the knife back in his pocket, still letting the wound on his hand bled.  
  
"It's been a long time, Abbadon." Alex finally said to him.  
  
"Not long enough, murderer!" Abbadon was still swelling with hatred and loathing.  
  
"Don't expect me to let you get away with what you are doing." Isaac told Alex.  
  
"Oh, I expect to." Alex told them. Isaac noticed what Alex was doing. Felix had already grabbed the elemental star without them noticing, all barring Isaac. Isaac tried to charge up to stop him from throwing it into the beacon. Alex, however, stopped him. From her hands she emitted a spray of focused water in a jet, one that propelled Isaac back to where he was standing, only this time he was drenched, on the floor and in ferocious pain. The elemental star bounced along the floor once, twice, three times. All were on the brink of suspense, wondering if it would, in fact, fall into the beacon. Even Felix was caught up in the suspense of the moment, almost willing it to fall in.  
  
It was as if the gods were against Isaac and his group. For what seemed to be forever the elemental start had appeared to be tinkering on the brink of not falling. Then, as if it wanted to die, the elemental star slipped off the side and down into the beacon below them. Isaac tried to stand up, thinking he could change the course of current events. Janna watched as he attempted to scramble back up, wanting to help him. Felix, however, stood in here way. Alex laughed again.  
  
"How pitiful. You're like flies." He commented. Isaac had managed to get up now, but was still shaken. Abbadon could see that.  
  
"I said I would be looking forward to meeting you again. Let's see how much stronger you've got. Isaac looked around to see a totally different plan emerging. Abbadon had slipped away from them and was slowly creeping up behind Felix. In his mouth he had the knife, his sword now sheathed. Isaac couldn't believe it; Abbadon was going to murder him.  
  
Jenna turned around to see Abbadon. Abbadon gave her a glare with his slit eyes. Isaac knew that she didn't like the situation she was in, but he also knew that she wouldn't want Felix dead.  
  
"Felix! Look behind you!" Jenna warned. Felix turned full circle to see Abbadon, who'd now got the knife in his hands, ready to strike. Felix hit Abbadon in the stomach with the pommel of his sword. Abbadon fell to the floor. The lighthouse then emitted a bright light, a dark blue-purple shaft of light erupting from the beacon. The lighthouse had been lit. Alex smiled. He knew his task was done here. "I'm sorry to do this to you again, Isaac, but I'm afraid I must cut short this meeting," He then turned to Felix, who was sheathing his blade, "Felix, let's go." As Alex started to head towards the lift, he stopped, "On second thoughts, wait." Felix then stopped. Isaac saw Abbadon stiring behind Jenna. Garet only preyed that he wouldn't try open murder again. Alex stepped towards Isaac's team.  
  
"I almost forgot. I'll need the mars star." Alex said to Isaac. Isaac suddenly remembered that he had it. He looked to his friends. They were cold faced.  
  
"Don't be a fool, Isaac." Felix said to him. Sheba, through all of this, remained silent.  
  
"We'll never give it up! You'll have to go through us first!" Garet threatened.  
  
"If I have to." Alex said back.  
  
"Where is your compassion?" Mia asked.  
  
"You killed Saturos and Mernaidi. In revenge, there is no room for compassion." Alex explained. Mia felt like she'd been betrayed. Isaac felt like this was the end.  
  
"Alright, I'll give it to you." Isaac felt like he had no choice. Garet shook his head. Isaac reached into his backpack and fumbled about for it. In the next few moments, the fumbling became more urgent. Garet looked confused.  
  
"It's not my bag." Isaac said, shocked.  
  
"Don't play games with me, fool! Give it to me!" Alex demanded.  
  
"I don't have it!" Isaac shouted. It was then that another spoke.  
  
"He's telling the truth." It was Abbadon. All looked to him. He was standing again, this time throwing something into the air as he stood there. It was, as Isaac suspected, the elemental star.  
  
"Felix, get it!" Alex demanded. Felix started to close in on Abbadon. Almost ina flash, Abbadon pulled his sword out and pointed it at Felix. He then held the elemental star out, over the edge.  
  
"One wrong move and I shatter this gem!" Abbadon threated. Felix was weary for a minute, then Alex started laughing again.  
  
"He's bluffing! No one can shatter the gem! Only the Neptune clan could do that and they died out centuries ago!" Alex shouted.  
  
"The who?" Ivan asked.  
  
Felix took another step closer. Garet had his sword drawn. Both he and Mia looked at one another. It was then that Felix noticed the pendant.  
  
"Oh my god!" Felix gasped.  
  
"That's right!" Abbadon beckoned out loud. With that said, Felix stepped back suddenly. He looked to Alex. Abbadon smiled slyly. "Now, I think we can sort out a deal, Alex." Abbadon called to her. Alex had turned to him. All attention was drawn away from the other four who were still standing there, baffled. It was then that something shot into Ivan's mind.  
  
"Get Jenna and Sheba out of there! I'll take care of myself!" It was Abbadon. Ivan was reading his thoughts. Ivan grabbed Isaac and he too heard what Abbadon was telling them. Isaac tapped Garet and signalled to Jenna. Garet nodded and began to move. Not a word had to be spoken, for all understood Abbadon's plan.  
  
"What kind of deal, Abbadon?" Alex asked.  
  
"A deal that will make all concerned parities happy." Abbadon told him.  
  
"But you can't make your party happy. They want both their friends and the elemental star." It was then that Felix looked to their captives, only to see that there was only two. He saw Garet leading Jenna to the group. Felix cursed himself.  
  
"Alex! They're getting away!" Sheba shouted.  
  
"We need that Mars Adept!" Alex shouted, then, signalling to Felix to move, he shouted, "Follow them! And take Sheba with you!" Isaac knew that Alex knew of the maze's power. They didn't have much of a head start on Felix.  
  
"We have to hurry," Isaac warned Ivan, "How fast can you get through the maze?"  
  
"I think I can keep ahead of them." Ivan guessed.  
  
"Let's hope you can!" Garet shouted. Jenna, in all this, hadn't said a word.  
  
"Welcome back." Isaac said to her. All she could do was worry, it seemed.  
  
"what about the other person?" She asked. Her voice was soft and full of worry, nearly teary.  
  
"Abbadon can take care of himself," Garet told her, "Don't worry, you're safe now." Those words made her smile for a small while, but only for that. She was with people that she could trust, yet also with people she didn't recognise.  
  
They could now see the way back out of the lighthouse. When they got to the hall, it wasn't filled with the sound of gushing water. Instead, it was full of the sounds of battle. Swords chinked into one another, blasts of energy echoed throughout the halls. All had been looking up that they hadn't noticed that Felix was right behind them. He was about to strike when they heard a scream; a scream of agony. All looked up to see Abbadon, hanging on for his life from the edge of the beacon hole. They could see Alex looking down upon him, sheathing his sword. The could all hear the conversation above them.  
  
"It doesn't have to be this way, Abbadon," Alex said, holding out a hand to him, "Give me the elemental star. Together, we'll release the powers of alchemy! Anything you want will be yours!" There was silence for a moment, then the sound of him rustling through his pockets.  
  
"What can you promise me? All I want is your death." That sent a shiver down Mia's spine. She looked at the ring that she'd given him. It was starting to glow a faint white. Garet's eye caught the glow.  
  
"What on earth is that?" Garet asked her.  
  
"Abbadon gave it to me." Mia said to him. They were then brought back to the action above them with another scream, which was Abbadons once again.  
  
"I see that there is no pleasing you, Abbadon," Alex shook his head, "Very well, die you shall." There was no scream, however, as he began to fall. Jenna and Mia couldn't watch at first, as the sight of Abbadon falling was too much for them. Garet had sheathed his blade and was ready to catch him, when Felix charged into him, barging him out of the way. Isaac drew his sword and charged into Felix. Neither Sheba nor Ivan did anything in the skirmish that was occurring. Mia then had the courage to look up, which was at the worst possible time. She saw Abbadon clutch onto a ledge about ten metres above them in an attempt to slow down his fall. He didn't have the grip he wanted, yet was able to slow himself down dramatically in the second that he was holding on for. He then lost his grip and, without a word fell to the floor. There was no blood as he hit it, yet there was a cracking of bones. Isaac barged Felix out of the way and, with a little bit of psynergy, caused the ceiling to cave in slightly. A large pillar collapsed right in front of Felix, blocking both him and Sheba from the party. Garet reached under Abbadon, who hadn't moved since he fell, and lifted him up.  
  
"Now's as good a time as any, Isaac!" Garet told his friend. Isaac didn't have to say he agreed. The very fact that he began to run out of the lighthouse showed his view.  
All of them started to run towards their ship. The ramp was still down as they approached it. Garet was the first o board, followed by Ivan and the girls. Isaac pulled up the ramp as he boarded. Ivan looked at the sea and to the lighthouse.  
  
"Alex isn't on the lighthouse anymore." Ivan said to Isaac. Isaac sighed with relief.  
  
"I was expecting some kind of counter attack," Isaac said, explaining why he sighed,. He then looked over to Garet, who had just left the women's quarters. Isaac asked, "How is he?" Garet shook his head.  
  
"He looks beaten up pretty bad," Garet told him glumly, "I don't think he's going to make it." Ivan looked down tot eh sea as Garet said that. Jenna was still slightly confused as to what was going on. Isaac had now drawn out the Black Orb and was turning the ship around.  
  
"Where are we going?" Garet asked.  
  
"Does it matter?" Isaac said back. He had a point, Garet knew. Garet then went over to Jenna, who was looking out to the sea.  
  
"Have they done anything to you?" Garet asked. Jenna didn't reply.  
  
"I don't think she's in the mood for talking." Ivan suggested to Garet. Garet then stepped away. It was only a few minutes before the Lemurian ship was speeding away from the lighthouse and out of harms way. All looked at the beacon, lit as bright as day itself and rising forever into the sky. Garet shook his head.  
  
"That's it then." Garet said sadly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Ivan asked him.  
  
"We've failed. The third lighthouse has been lit. Alex and Felix have the mars star." He sounded more depressed then he was the first day of their journey, Isaac noticed.  
  
"We don't know that Alex has the Mars Star." Isaac said to him.  
  
"Garet, they don't have a Mars Adept anymore." Jenna pointed out. Garet's face lit up.  
  
"That means that even if they had the mars star, they wouldn't' be able to use it!" Garet then had a beaming smile on his face. That smile was broken when Mia came up on deck.  
  
"Well?" Isaac asked as he turned around. He hung her head down low. Garet kicked the side.  
  
"Why does this have to happen?" Garet shouted.  
  
"I thought you hated the guy." Ivan pondered. "When a guy helps save one of our best friends, you start to thin differently about them." Garet told Ivan.  
  
"Can I see him?" Isaac asked.  
  
"Go ahead," Mia said to him. She looked like she'd just had a cry herself, "But it's not a pretty sight." Isaac and Garet both walked into where Abbadon was lying. There was no movement as he lay on the bed. Ivan peeked his head around the door, seeing what Abbadon looked like. Bruises covered his face. There was a cut on his left arm that appeared quite deep. From his leg there had been a lot of bleeding, as his black trousers were soaked in blood. Even Jenna steeped in, standing next to Garet.  
  
"Who was he?" Jenna asked.  
  
"A fine man." Garet asked. Garet turned from the bed and instead began to walk out. The rest followed. They had given up hope. They moved past Mia, who was going back in. She pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed.  
  
"You were right, Abbadon. You said you were going to leave us after the lighthouse business was over." She hung her head low. The ring was still glowing white, this time brighter than before, "Why did you have to die?" This time, she was crying. She was crying right next to him, "This is my fault!" She shouted. She then stood up and clenched her fists, trying to contain her tears, "If I hadn't of insisted you'd stayed, you'd have still been alive! Now I have to live it for the rest of my life!" She was turned away from him, not wanting to look upon him, "I shouldn't have let you stay. It was selfish of me to want to keep you here!" Mia was still crying, regardless of how much she had tried top stop herself. She then looked at her hands, noticing that both were clenched, and said: "What am I saying? I sound just like him! He wouldn't want to cry over his death!"  
  
"It's nice that someone will cry, though." He said softly. She stopped where she was in fear and terror.  
  
"Garet, cut that out!" She thought he was spying in on her and playing a prank. When she saw that he wasn't by the door, she heard him again.  
  
"Don't you remember me?" He said to her. She turned round to see him, expecting him to be still laid out of the bed, cold and lifeless. Abbadon was now stood up, clenching a wound on the right hand side of his waist with his left hand. His single blue eyes showed no tears, yet he was smiling. She was still crying when she ran towards him and embraced the battered man. She held on tightly to him, almost as if she didn't want him to slip out from in front of her eyes again. Abbadon was shocked by the reaction he got, yet the shock only lasted for a second. After that, he took her in his other arm. She was still crying, this time tears of joy.  
  
"Why are you crying?" He asked her softly.  
  
"I thought I'd lost you forever!" She said in a teary, yet happy tone.  
  
"You had, for a while." He told her, still refraining from tears.  
  
"Don't you ever do that again, you hear?" She demanded of him. It was then that someone shouted from on deck.  
  
"Did you hear that?" It was Garet, who'd obviously heard her talking to him. She quickly let go of him, he still holding the wound in his side. Garet came the moment after she'd let go, to see Abbadon up and on his feet, still weak, yet alive. Garet's face lit up in surprise.  
  
"Oh my god!" Garet shouted. Ivan then ran up to see what the commotion was about.  
  
"What, what's happened?" He said. Then, when he laid eyes on Abbadon, he shouted to Isaac, "Isaac, it's a miracle!" Isaac stepped towards them, with Jenna close at hand and managed to shift Garet out of the way of the entire doorway.  
  
"Who else did you expect?" Abbadon said, almost with a hint of humour. 


End file.
